A three-day trip across the border into France took us to the southeastern region, with stays in Lyon and Vienne (35 kilometres south of Lyon, on the Rhône). Our third and final restaurant on the trip was a short walk from our hotel, next to the central train station in Lyon, along the sparkling banks of the river Rhône to, BOUCHON COMPTOIR ABEL BAR BOUCHON COMPTOIR ABEL BAR Neither a café nor a comptoir but a 400-year-old bouchon with an excess atmosphere. The restaurant h

A three-day trip across the border into France took us to the southeastern region, with stays in Lyon and Vienne (35 kilometres south of Lyon, on the Rhône). Our second restaurant on the trip was to RESTAURANT MOUTON-BENOIT Michelin Plate IIO The restaurant is 9km from Vienne. To leave town, cross Pont routier de Lattre de Tassigny and head towards the village of Givors. A few kilometres before Givors, you will see the restaurant on the right-hand side. This roadside est

A three-day trip across the border into France took us to southeastern France, where we stayed in Lyon and Vienne (35 kilometres south of Lyon, on the Rhône). Our first restaurant on the trip was LES SAVEURS DU MARCHÉ Michelin Plate IIO An attractive, well-run restaurant where the immaculate tables and chairs back onto stone walls. This contemporary decor is the ideal backdrop for chef Sebastien Désestet’s market-fresh products, which are full of flavour, as you would e

CLOSED AND RENAMED 2026 This top hotel is set on beautiful golden sands and is a great escape from the madness of Platja d’en Bossa. There are so many room options. If you are worried about space, book any room or suite other than the basic silver room, as these can be small, and the location is in the tower, so it is not as good. The stylish, modern rooms offer free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, and great sound systems to charge your iPod with tunes. Plus,

PERMANENTLY CLOSED IN 2023? As of July 2024, the site has been replaced by a new venue named CHIRINGUITO GITANA. KIOSKO LA FRANJA Jonathon Lipsin writes: This is my favourite swimming spot on the Island, situated on Platja de Migjorn, where I used to live behind the Piratabus. I enjoyed visiting La Franja, this little chiringuito, after my swim. A chiringuito is basically a wooden shack on the beach that sells basic sandwiches, tapas, cold beer, and wine. The people are frien

FINCA LISTONERO MAYBE CLOSED 2025 Reborn after the terrible raging wildfire that swept across the Sierra Cabrera and into the valley at Cortijo Grande and destroyed the previous fabulous incarnation in 2009. Finca Listonero is back and just as fabulous, now run by Ian and Sandra. They are very welcoming hosts and serve up excellent food. It is a boutique guest house and restaurant, hidden away amongst the mountains surrounding the beautiful valley of Cortijo Grande, near

RESTAURANTE TRIBECA Michelin Plate IIO This excellent restaurant is located in the residential barrio of La Buheria, an eight-minute drive from the historic centre of Seville (or a twenty-minute walk). It is modern and well-fitted, and the tables are not too close together. At least three waiters looked after us. The charming chef Pedro Giménez came out to explain the menu to us. He then took us downstairs into the preparation area to choose our fish and shellfish. We

LA CARBONÁ This spacious and elegant dining room is in what was once an Antiguo Casco de bodega (sherry winery/cellar). It was transformed into a fabulous restaurant showcasing the local food of Jerez de la Frontera and the rest of Spain, as well as local sherry wines. In this old bodega, light enters the room through the Spartan windows, bringing in the Jerezana breeze, especially on warm days, maintaining the optimum temperature for their wines. The room is on the origi

LES PRÈS D’EUGÉNIE Three Michelin Stars On this occasion, we took a trip over the Spanish border from San Sebastián (some 175 km) into France to the wonderful Les Prés d’Eugénie. Michel Guérard opened Les Prés d’Eugénie in the tiny commune of Eugénie-les-Bains in 1974, and the restaurant gained a third Michelin star in 1977, only three years later. He has retained 40 years of 3-star status and now holds the longest such continuous run since the recent death of Bocuse, who

BAIRRO DO AVILLEZ For our third and final lunch on our short Lisbon trip, we decided on something more modern and trendy after two very traditional restaurants. From the outside, the place looks relatively small, but it is actually two restaurants in one building. The front is the Taberna and delicatessen, which serves small plates and tapas and has a buzzy atmosphere. The rear is the Páteo, which is a full restaurant with modern interpretations of Portuguese cuisine. We at